A Phantom Thief at Heart
by KittyKatKatarina
Summary: Persona 5 through the eyes of a female main character. Reader insert! Making the best of a shitty situation that was literally all that could think of to describe what she was doing at this very moment as she sat in the car with the man who offered her lodgings in his home for the next year.
1. Chapter 1

Persona 5 - Female Main Character

Short Authors Note:

Good day everyone. Persona 5 is something I've loved from the very moment I read the manga and the love grew even more the moment the game was released in my country and I got my hands on it. The one major thing that disappointed me was the lack of a female main character. It was in the works in the beginning, but then it seemed to get thrown out window due to it being "too much work". So, I thought I'd add my own little spin on the situation and make the main character a female and see how it plays out. **There will be many similar scenarios to the game and the main story will probably seem like a lot of quoting at times as well. This I apologize for, but I want to keep the main plot as exact as I can. The rating on this story will be a mature one due to the mere nature of game and future romance. This story will be written mostly in second person point of view, but may occasionally switch to first or third person depending on what is happening. I will notify everyone before the changes are made, though. Since I don't plan to use the name the manga gave the main character nor do I plan to use the physical features of him either, I have chosen not to give him a name or appearance and instead let the reader choose what their character appears to be.**

Author Questionnaire:

 **There will be some gender changes made to certain side characters (like ms. Kawakami) to make them appear as suitable love interests as well. This idea is merely one of thought, since many people rejected my idea to adding a bit of a possible lesbian option to my character. I'll give it a try through the first few chapters and if it is continuously receiving negative feedback, it can easily be changed.**

 **Does anyone want Arsen (MC's first persona) to be a potential love interest? I thought the idea would be interesting, but I wasn't quite sure if anyone else agreed.**

 **Does anyone want Sojiro to be a potential love interest? I plan to make Iwai a love interest, so I thought it only natural to assume that it would be welcomed.**

If anyone has any opinions on the questions, comment or send me a private message! I'd love everyone's feedback!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1 - Making the Best of a Shitty Situation

 _Making the best of a shitty situation_ that was literally all that _ could think of to describe what she was doing at this very moment as she sat in the car with the man who offered her lodgings in his home for the next year. Getting into trouble for assaulting the man trying to sexually harass you was really something that surprised and enraged you. You weren't someone who just beat up innocent older men, how could someone believe that convoluted story to begin with?! Now everyone treated you like YOU were to blame here. You tried to stay positive, because if you didn't then things would only be worse off for you.

There were a few positives in the stroke of poor luck you'd had recently: you were sent to Tokyo - a bustling city very different from the small hometown you'd spent the last sixteen years of your life at. This large and extravagant city was just begging to be explored and you planned to do just that! You wondered how hard it'd be to fit in now with your record, surely not everyone would know about it, right? This was the city, after all. Rumors couldn't possibly travel as fast as they did at your hometown… right?

"Hey, are you even listening?" A voice spoke pulling you from your thoughts.

"Hm…?" You started with a confused expression as a heavy sigh left the male's lips in the driver's seat beside you.

"Tch, why did I even agree to take you in?" He complained.

"I don't know. Why **did** you?" You inquired. As far as you knew, you hadn't the slightest idea who this person was. He definitely didn't look familiar and your parents didn't seem to know him, nor cared who he was to begin with. They just wanted you out of their hair and no longer making them look bad with your assault record. Not that you blamed them, though. It seemed that you were the talk of the town before you left…

"Don't get lippy kid, just because your a girl, doesn't mean I'm gonna treat you any different than anyone else." The male stated as he grumbled under his breath about nonsense you didn't really care about. "It isn't like I had much of a choice. One of my customers knows your parents and… what does it even matter? With an attitude like yours, you're lucky they paid me in advance…" Having to live with someone like this was just going to make staying here even harder… You wanted to be civil at least. Starting a fight wasn't getting you anywhere.

"Can I ask your name?" You inquired. "I mean, you know who I am, but I don't know a thing about you and I'll be in your care for an entire year…" The male let another sigh leave his lips as if your comment was an annoyance to him, but he offered you a sheepish gaze.

"It's Sojiro Sakura." He told you as he shifted in his seat as the two of you sat in traffic. This was awkward… He seemed just as uncomfortable as you did and that only made it worse.

"Look, I know this is going to be an adjustment for you, I mean, you're just a girl caught up in some bad stuff, but-"

"I'm not _just_ a girl, okay? Would you stop saying stuff like that? Do you think I'm beneath you, because I'm a girl or something? I'm stuck in this situation, because some shitty guy groped me in an alleyway and I hit him, not because I'm some thug!" You countered with your arms crossed over your chest defiantly.

"That ain't what your record says," Sojiro shot back at you and you glared down at your feet.

"It's wrong…" You whispered softly and Sojiro offered you a look for a moment, before opting to say nothing more.

The ride to where Sojiro was taking you lasted only a few moments longer, before he pulled up in front of a cafe and got out. You followed him, curiously gazing up at the cafe sign. _Cafe Leblanc_ the sign read and you glanced up at the male next to you curiously. The male unlocked the door and stepped inside, while you followed silently. He lead you up the steps to an attic-like space that seemed to have been untouched for quite some time.

"If the bed in the corner hasn't given it away yet, this will be your room for the next year," Sojiro spoke as he let you look around. "Feel free to get rid of anything you want and bring in whatever you want, but don't expect me to provide it for you. If you want it, you buy it."

The room wasn't too bad, sure it was dusty and a bit cramped, but once you cleaned everything up, it'd be much easier to make room and make it appear like a real bedroom.

"I understand…" Came your short reply and Sojiro helped you carry your things up to the room, before leaving to tend to the cafe. In all honesty, you were happy about this. This privacy of staying inside the cafe would be a nice change of pace compared to being stuck living under Sojiro's constant supervision. You even felt like you'd have a stroke of freedom as well and that was refreshing. Being able to freely explore the city would be a great experience! There were plenty of cleaning products spread about and you took it upon yourself to clean up a bit. No way in hell were you going to sleep on that musty old bed with those dusty sheets!

Several hours of cleaning later, you felt mostly satisfied that the place was in much better shape than before. Sojiro had yet to come up the steps, but you didn't think anything of it. You made your way down the stairs, seeing the lack of customers made you a bit curious, though you didn't inquire. There was an elderly couple sitting at a booth listening to the TV mounted on the wall in the far corner.

" _A public transit bus was driven down as an opposing lane with its customers still in it! The citizens can't live in peace if this keeps up!"_

"How frightening…!" The elderly man commented.

"What could possibly be going on? Didn't something similar happen just the other day?" The elderly man's wife spoke up thoughtfully as the two let their eyes remain glued to the television.

"We'll be going now, Boss. The payments on the table." The elderly customer spoke as he and his wife stood to leave.

"Thanks for coming," Sojiro spoke casually as the man busied himself with a crossword puzzle due to the lack of customers.

"This place is in the back alley, so there's no worries of a car crashing in here." The elderly man spoke.

"A what now..?" Sojiro commented, before spotting you a moment later and sitting his crossword aside to focus on you.

"There's been a string of rampage accidents, you know. I just hope that none happen around here." The elderly man commented.

"It's none of my concern…" Sojiro commented. The elderly man seemed dejected by his response, but didn't comment.

"We'll see you next time," the elderly woman spoke as the two left.

"Sakura-san, where am I to wash my clothes?" You inquired, seeing as there was no washing machine inside of the cafe.

"There's a laundry mat across the street," he informed you, before once again reminding you that he wasn't paying for you to use it. You took the sheets and blankets and washed them, thankful that you'd brought some money with you, so you could do so. Once you finished, you returned to the cafe just as Sojiro seemed to be planning to lock up for the night.

"I'm leaving, don't leave the cafe at night. I don't need you causing trouble." He told you, "I'll be by in the morning. We're going to Shujin tomorrow - the school you'll be attending. You should be grateful I was able to get you into a place at all. Most people won't open their doors to a criminal." He told you before locking you in and taking his leave. You sighed softly, before heading back up to your room and making your bed. To say you were frustrated was an understatement. This entire move was nothing but stressful for you. To think you'd have been the one to get into trouble for what had taken place that night really made your blood boil. Then again, the words of a woman were often overlooked. Sojiro was no exception to this either.

"Calling me 'kid' and ' **just** a woman'... tch, all adults are the same…" You muttered to yourself as you sat down on your bed. "This sucks…" A strange sound takes you from your thoughts and you take your phone from your pocket to investigate the source of the sound.

"Hm..? I don't remember downloading a new app on my phone…" You spoke curiously as you tapped the screen curiously. It didn't do much other than make a strange noise. The app was all red and held a strange looking eye in the center. It didn't make much sense at all, but it looked somewhat like a navigation app…? "Did it come with the new phone…?" You commented, deciding to just delete the strange app and ignore it for now. You needed to get some sleep anyway, since you knew you'd have to put up with more crap once you went to Shujin in the morning. No doubt the teachers have already prejudged you from the moment they saw your record…

As you dozed off to sleep, you heard a strange sound, something similar to chains. You were too lost in your groggy sleep to be stirred awake from it, though. You were, however, shaken when you heard a loud bang like something hard hitting a metal cage. You sat up abruptly and immediately realized your sudden restrictions. You hands were in chains and you even catered the stereotypical ball and chain around your ankle.

" _What the hell..?" You whispered as you stood to peer out at the two figures standing at the cage. One of the girls held a baton in her hand, which you assumed was what was used to hit the cage with in order to wake you._

" _So you've come to, inmate." The girl spoke._

" _Well, yeah, you woke me up…" You muttered._

" _Watch your tone, inmate!" The girl snapped at you again._

" _Where am I? What's going on?" You asked the two small girls in front of you._

" _The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream." The other girl spoke, she seemed much more mild mannered than her counterpart._

" _Trickster… Welcome to my Velvet Room." A voice spoke, pulling you from your conversation with the two girls and to the male farther inside of the room. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a "contract" my enter. Still this is a surprise.. The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a "prisoner" of fate. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well."_

"' _Contract'… What contract? "Prisoner of fate"… what does that mean?" You insisted curiously, but Igor only chuckled at you and continued speaking._

" _I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well," he spoke. "In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you. I speak of the end to everything. However, there is means to oppose such fate. You must be "rehabilitated" toward freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin." To say you were confused was an understatement. Was this supposed to be some strange sign from the Gods that you were doomed to die or something? Okay, so maybe you spent too much time reading manga while you were out of school… but still! This is was too surreal to be a dream… right?_

" _Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world? Or are you just another woman who will fall victim to an untimely end?" Igor asked you._

" _I don't plan on dying anytime soon," you stated and Igor only seemed more amused at your response._

" _Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation." He told you with an amused gaze. "To your right is Caroline; to your left is Justine. They serve as wardens here. I shall explain their roles at another time. It seems the night is waning… it is almost time. We will surely meet again…"_

You were jolted awake by the sound of your alarm, pulling you back to reality. Your eyes opened as they looked around the room Sojiro had provided for you for the next year. _What the hell…? So it was just a dream after all…_ You put it out of your mind for now as you got up and began getting dressed for the day. You paused hearing sudden footsteps approaching the stairs and making their way up.

"W-wait! Don't come up yet!" You called. Sojiro didn't seem to be in the mood to entertain you as he stepped up to peer at you.

"Look, if you're doing drugs or something in my store, I won't hesitate to kick you-" the male started before his eyes fell on your barely clothes form as you covered yourself up with the comforter given to you by Sojiro yesterday.

"I-I'm getting dressed!" You spoke with your face flushed. Sojiro cleared his throat as he looked away from you, a bit embarrassed himself and definitely feeling rather awkward as well.

"I, uh, I see…" He started. "Just, uh, hurry up…"

"Go downstairs!" You called with bright red cheeks from embarrassment and the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

"I-I am!" Sojiro insisted as he quickly made his way down the steps muttering something along the lines of putting a door on your room to avoid such things from happening again.

It took you a bit longer to come down the steps due to your embarrassment, but you were finally able to face the male in the cafe after a good five minutes. He seemed to be relieved you took a little longer, since he was still a bit awkward around you as well.

"Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go." Sojiro told you, still unable to properly make eye contact with you. "Do me a favor and behave yourself, alright? Don't get me wrong - I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me trouble."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Sakura-san," you spoke sarcastically. The male ignored your comment as he walked out to his car. The ride to the school was mostly silent, only the sound of the radio could be heard, but this didn't bother you. Sojiro didn't seem like the friendly type and you wanted to avoid conflict with him. At the end of the day, he was the only person willing to offer you lodgings for the year…

Once you arrived at the school, you were approached by one of the students assisting the teachers. She seemed friendly enough given the situation you were in.

"Good morning, you must be _, correct? The principal is expecting you. I'm Makoto Niijima, the student council president." She greeted you politely, though she seemed to be in a rush. "Please, right this way. I'll take you to him." You followed after the third year quietly, before coming upon the door to the principal's office. "Here you are, I hope you have a good year. If you need help finding anything, please, don't hesitate to ask me." She then left you in the care of the principal after letting you inside.

 _Well, at least the students don't seem horrible. Well, Niijima-sempai didn't anyway…"_

The same definitely couldn't be said about your teachers, nor the principal. He ranted on and on about how they were inconvenienced by your application, how they took you in out of pity and you should be grateful. It all made you want to scream at them, tell them off for treating you like some kind of serial killer or drug addict. This situation wasn't your fault! You were walking home, minding your own business, then someone attacked you. What were you supposed to do? Just let it happen? Hell no! Having to keep quiet and just accept the things people were saying only made you feel more angry, but you knew no one else would take you in if you messed up this chance. You had no choice…

 _A "prisoner" of my own fate, huh…?_

"Just so we're clear, you will be immediately expelled if you cause any problems. I hesitated accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind." The principal spoke, muttering something about where the integrity of students was nowadays. You had to stop yourself from asking where his neck was out of instinct. "This is the teacher in charge of your class." He said motioning toward a man beside him who looked as though he didn't even want to be there. Maybe it was just your imagination, but he looked rather tired…?

"I'm Sadahiro Kawakami. Here's your student ID card. Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And if you by chance cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all. But really, though, why me? There should've been better candidates." The male commented with a sigh.

"It was a sudden transfer and your class was the only one that had an opening…" The principal commented. You sighed softly to yourself, not even wanting to listen anymore.

"If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to," Sojiro spoke coming to your rescue.

"Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on her," the principal spoke. "Don't let her cause any trouble around town. It'll ultimately reflect on us if she does."

"Come to the faculty office when you arrive to school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom." Mr. Kawakami stated, before you and Sojiro left the room to return to his car. The male stopped at the door to his, leaving it open as he sat down inside to start it.

"They're treating you like you're some kinda nuisance. I guess that's what it means to have a criminal record. Turns out, your past follows you wherever you go. By the way, if you get expelled, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?" He told you and you just nodded. Sojiro took another look around the school for a moment, before sighing. "School never changes, huh? Come on, we're going home." He said as he closed the door and waited for you to buckle up, before driving off. Commotion of another accident was heard on the radio, but you weren't really paying much attention to it as you and Sojiro sat in traffic once again.

"Tch, this damn traffic…" Sojiro commented with a frown on his lips. "Must be because of that damn accident." You didn't respond as you looked out the window absentmindedly.

"So, uh, what do you think? Of the school, that is." Sojiro questioned. "Think you'll manage?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" You replied and he simply sighed in response.

"It's only for a year, then you'll be going home. Just behave yourself and don't hang around people who cause trouble." He told you, but you didn't offer a reply to that.

It took almost an hour to make it back to the cafe and the irritation was clearly written on Sojiro's face. "Stuck in traffic all damn day. I couldn't even open the store." He gripped. "What a waste of my day…" As you made your way toward the steps, Sojiro stopped you, handing you a notebook.

"This is a diary. I want you to write your daily events inside of it, so I can keep it as a record for your parole officer. You better remember to keep a record of everything you do in it." He told you, before a phone call interrupted him. He passively told you he was locking up for the night and he'd be back in the morning. You took the notebook in your hands with a sigh, before scribbling down what you did today inside of it.

 _Went to Shujin Academy. Aced my entrance exams, but who cares about how smart you are when you're a criminal?_

You were quick to scratch that out and start over.

 _Went to Shujin Academy. Aced my entrance exams. Met the Student Council President, Makoto Niijima. She seemed nice._

You left it short and sweet, before shutting the book with an uninterested huff. You grabbed a bag with some clothes and slipped out the window to go to the bathhouse to bathe, before bed. Seriously, how did Sojiro expect you to be presentable if he locked you in with no damn shower? You took a long bath, just wanting to forget all about your current situation and focus instead on moving forward.

Author's Note:

Thank you everyone who messaged me and reviewed your opinions for the outcome of my story! I love the feedback from everyone and your opinions are always welcome! Okay, here is what I've decided to do going forward:

 **Will there be a proper name for my character?** Many people loved the idea of the reader insert, so I will not be giving the protagonist a name, as I'm sure you saw with the first chapter.

 **Who's genders am I changing?** Ms. Kawakami, Tae Takemi and Ichiko Ohya will all appear as male in my series. The other side characters will remain their proper genders. If you feel as though I should another or if these changes are unwanted, please let me know, but I chose these three only because they were the most requested.

 **I was asked if a romance between the protagonist and Sae Niijima would take place.** The answer is, yes, but it will most likely be a situation that will become a side oneshot later in the series. I chose not to change Sae's gender, because a lot of her being a woman struggling to make it in a male oriented society is a big part of her character and I don't plan to change that. Any romance between Sae and the main character will take place on a holiday or something of the sort, so that she can be selected to spend the evening with, just as any other male character. I apologize that she won't be as frequent as the others, but the want for her to be a lesbian interest just wasn't as highly praised enough for me to make changes to include her more often.

 **Will Arsene be a love interest?** Just as for Sae, Arsene will be a love interest, but I've chosen him to be a guide for the main character through much of the game, speaking to her and offering advice - much like Morgana does. Any romance between the main character and Arsene will take place just as Sae's does.

 **Will there be romance with Morgana?** The answer is, yes, but not until much later. {SPOILER ALERT} At the end of the game, instead of Morgana returning as a cat once again, I plan for him to return as a human male and then and only then will there be any kind of romance between them.

 **How do I intend to go about the romance in the series?** Much of the romance will depend on the character. Their feelings will be more vocal than in the game, but I do not intend to make the main character appear as some hoe either. Any for of lemon or date (outside of proper storyline actions such as rising in social link etc.) will take place in separate oneshots as the story goes along. I will most likely make separate stories labelled with specific topic (school trip, Christmas etc).

 **Will Goro Akechi be a love interest?** The answer is, yes. Akechi is my closet love, so I do intend to include him in the series as someone who will be a possible love interest. {SPOILER ALERT} I do not intend for Akechi to die like he does in the game, so there will be options for affection between them later and no one will have to worry about his untimely death scene.

 **Will Shinya be a love interest?** Absolutely not. It's one thing for someone who is sixteen/seventeen to be interested in someone older, but a child in grade school has zero reason to be involved with an older person romantically. No I will not make an exception for him to be older, due to his storyline. This is my opinion and I'm sorry, but I'm just not comfortable with it.

 **Who exactly will be love interests?** Arsene, Ryuji, Yusuke, Sae, Iwai, Sojiro, Kawakami, Ohya, Takemi, Akechi, Morgana, and Mishima. If anyone wants any other love interests to be included, let me know! If they get enough positive feedback, I have no objection in including them!

Thanks for reading! I hope to hear from you guys as the story progresses!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2 - Ryuji Sakamoto - The Chariot

Monday morning came far too quick for you when your alarm woke you up early in the morning to get ready for school. You got up and began your usual morning routine with a soft sigh on your lips. It felt similar to your usual routine, but somehow so very different at the same time…

"Hey, you awake?" Sojiro called up the steps, opting to call for you instead of coming up the steps as he had the day before. Really, it was a relief for you as you called back down to him.

"Yes, I'll be down in a moment…" You spoke as you finished getting ready and made your way down the steps.

"Oh, so you're actually going to school?" Sojiro asked with an almost surprised expression.

"Of course I am, don't you think my future is ruined enough as it is? You seriously expect me to make it anywhere in life without an education?" You commented with a frown.

"Well, you could always marry a successful man," he joked, to which you were obviously not amused. He cleared his throat at the sudden awkwardness of the situation now and cleared his throat. "Here, I'll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in." The male sat a plate in front of you and you offered a raised eyebrow.

"Curry for breakfast?" You inquired with a tilt of your head.

"What's that reaction for? Just eat it." Sojiro told you with an impatient huff. You sighed, thinking you should perhaps just be grateful that you were offered food at all, since you've spent the last two days scraping by with what you could afford to eat. Maybe you should get a job…? Taking a bite from the plate, you let the bold spicy flavors dance on your tongue while they were paired with the bland flavor of the white rice and the bitter flavor of the coffee you were offered.

"This is delicious~!" You chimed with a small smile on your lips. Well, if Sojiro was anything, it was a good cook.

"Thanks. It's time for you to go. Hurry over to school. You'll end up late if you get lost on the way." Sojiro spoke passively. "Oh, flip the sign outside to OPEN for me."

Making your way out the door, you were sure to flip the sign, before making your way to the station. It was loud, but everyone seemed to be talking about the same thing: these strange events that had been taking place. The trains were delayed due to the accident, to which you found annoying, but otherwise, chose not to care much. Boarding the train was equally as annoying, since it was so cramped. It was a rarity to find an open seat, so you didn't even try to look for one. Once you arrived at the second station, you stepped out to discover the downpour that you certainly weren't expecting from the previously sunny sky. A sigh left your lips as you looked up at the rain, staying close to the station to shield yourself from the rain. You were still early, so you thought you'd try to wait until the rain lightened up a bit, before heading to the school building.

"Which way do I even go…?" You muttered to yourself softly, before a girl wearing a uniform similar to yours approaching the safety of your hiding spot as well.

"Damn rain…" She muttered softly with a heavy sigh. "I can't believe I forgot my umbrella…"

"I didn't even know it was supposed to rain today…" You stated with a soft sigh. Some first day you were having… Great first impression, showing up soaking wet, because you didn't bring an umbrella.

"Me either… I should really start watching the news or something. I mean, it was sunny just ten minutes ago!" She ranted. "Hey, have we met? I mean, you don't look familiar or anything. I-" the blonde woman spoke, before a car pulled up in front of the two of you.

"Need a ride?" The male asked as he rolled the window down to speak to the student alongside you. He seemed like an older man, but it was more than obvious that he wasn't her father with the way he was looking at her. Strange… was he a teacher? But why would a teacher offer a student a ride? The girl got into the passenger's seat, before the male looked back up to meet your gaze.

"Would you like a ride too?" He asked you with somewhat of an inviting smile as his eyes looked over you for a moment, before back up to meet your gaze. Something about his tone made you uncomfortable, so you shook your head.

"Oh, um, no thank you…" You stated passively and he simply shrugged, rolling his window up, before driving off with the other student. You sighed as you looked up at the rain. "Maybe I should've agreed? I don't even know where I'm going after all…" You commented with a sigh, before someone ran toward you spouting insults about someone. He almost ran right into you, but you managed to step out of the way beforehand.

"Hey! Watch it!" You called with a small frown on your lips. The male turned to face you and offered a frown.

"What do you want? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?" The male spat with a glare on his face.

"Kamoshida….? I don't even know who that is." You stated bluntly. "What would I even rat you out for? I was just telling you to watch where you're going. You almost ran right into me." You rolled your eyes, expecting the male to just storm off, so you looked at your phone to check the time once again. Your eyes fell onto the app from the night before that you'd deleted. _It's some kinda navigation app, right? Maybe I can use it to get to school?_ Pressing the app, you waited for it to properly load, as the student from earlier seemed to get closer.

"Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida" The male stated invading your personal space a bit. "He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is - the king of the castle? Don't you agree?" You instinctively stepped away from him, before offered a frown.

"King of the castle..? I don't know what you're talking about." You told him.

"Uh, it's just a sayin'..." The male stated, before it seemed to settle in his mind that you didn't know who he was talking about. "Wait, you don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You're from Shujin, right?"

"Wait, you go to Shujin too…?" You asked curiously. The other two you'd met definitely didn't act the way he did.

"What..? No other high school's got a uniform like this." The male commented with a roll of his eyes.

"Like I'd know that! I just moved here." You replied with a huff.

"Oh, you a transfer student? Then no wonder you don't know him."

"Yeah, I'm a second year…" You commented.

"A second-year, huh? We're the same grade then." The male spoke. He seemed much more calm now, which was somewhat of a relief.

"This rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up or we'll be late." The male stated and you nodded looking down at your navigation app. It seemed fully loaded and a map was present showing you the way to the school. You followed behind Ryuji as you held you bag over your head with one hand and followed the direction your phone lead you. The two of you come upon what you expected to be the school.

"Huh? What the hell?" The male beside you spoke.

"What…? But the app said this was the right way? Did I take a wrong turn or something…?" You spoke confused as you looked over it.

"Huh? N-No! This has to be it! I mean… it should be…" The male stated as he check his phone for any kind of service. "Out of service? Where'd we end up…? The sign was for the school, right?"

"Uh... Yeah…?" You commented.

"Right?! You saw it too!" He spoke.

"How the hell do you not know where you're going?! You've been attending this school since you were a first year, right?!"

"Hey, why're you yellin' at me?! This is the right way, I know it!" You sighed heavily at him as you rubbed your temples.

"Let's just go in and ask for directions…" You grumbled.

"We don't need to ask for directions. I know where we are!"

"Obviously not, since we're lost!"

"We're not lost!"

"Are we seriously doing this bit? Ugh, I'm going in, you can do whatever you want." You commented with a roll of your eyes as you walked into the school building.

"H-hey! Wait for me!"

The two of you stepped into the school building, your footsteps falling into sync together as you looked around.

"Wow… what is this place?" You whispered as you looked around.

"Hell if I know. This definitely ain't our school…" The male commented as the two of you looked around the strange castle. The sound of footsteps and armor pulled you both from your thoughts as you looked over to spot an armed guard approach you. He jumped at the sudden closeness of the guard, before you both looked up to meet its gaze.

"Geez, you freaked me out…" The male whined as he looked at the guard. "Who're you? You a student? Man your costume's impressive. Is that armor real?"

"Um… I don't think that's a student.." You commented. "Uh, sorry, we're lost. Could you tell us how to get to Shujin?" The guard didn't speak a word, causing you two to grow slightly uncomfortable.

"C'mon don't just stand there, say somethin'." The male beside you complained at the guards lack of response. After a moment, another joins it and they step closer to you. The two of you step back instinctively.

"H-hey, what's goin' on?" He spoke defensively as two more people approached to cage you in.

"T-This must be some kinda prank, right?" You spoke. "C'mon, this isn't funny!"

The student alongside you's voice is suddenly taken from him when he's taken down by one of the guards roughly hitting him in the back.

"H-Hey! Stop! What're you doing?!" You called as you rushed to his aid once he was knocked down. More guards came to aid the two and you were easily overpowered by guards as they carried the two of you off. Everything slowly went black as you lost consciousness.

" _Hey… Hey wake up!"_

The sound of someone's voice stirred you as you slowly came to. You wake up in what appeared to be a cell, the male from before was standing over you to check on your well being, though his eyes were wandering a little too much for your liking.

"Hey! Where are you looking?!" You huffed as you sat up immediately and fixed your slightly bunched up skirt.

"I-I wasn't lookin'! I mean, not like _there_ or anythin'!" The male insisted, face red and expression sheepish at being caught. You simply huffed at him with a glare. "C'mon, cut me some slack!"

"Yeah, whatever," you commented with a grumpy expression.

"You alright?" The male asked you, trying to change the subject to ease the tension.

"Yeah, I'm okay… Are you? Where are we?" You mused as you looked around. There were two bed, a disgusting toilet and chains on the wall. It was quite intimidating… Just where the hell were you two?

"Yeah, more or less… I have no idea where we are, but it looks like this ain't no dream…" He spoke with a heavy sigh.

"You seriously still thought it was a dream?!" You spoke with a roll of your eyes.

"Ugh, what's going on?" The male complained as he banged on the cell bars to get the attention of anyone who might be outside.

"Hey, let us outta here! I know there's someone out there!" He called and you sighed.

"I really don't think that that is going to work…" You spoke up. Yes, because screaming 'let us out' has worked before when someone locks you away…

"Dammit, where are we?! Is this some kinda TV set?" He commented with a sigh.

"They sure went through a lot if that's the case…" You mused with a frown tugging at your lips. The two of you shared a glance as you tried to brainstorm what to do, before the sounds of screaming could be heard in the distance. It wasn't just screaming like perhaps another student had wandered in, no, these were deep _agonizing_ screams. Fear settled in your chest as well as the male beside you.

"What the hell was that just now?!" He spoke, in somewhat of a panic.

"Is someone being tortured or something?! A-are they gonna do that to us?!" You spoke as you looked over to him with wide eyes.

"Whoa! Hey man, you gotta be shitting me!" The male spoke up as he paced back and forth. "This is real bad..! Isn't there some way outta here?! C'mon, we gotta do something!" The two of you couldn't do much, though, before you were tugged from your thoughts as the sound of footsteps approaching alerted you.

"Huh, you hear that?" The male alongside you spoke to which you only nodded. A few guards approached your cell as one banged on the bars just to intimidate you.

"Be glad that your punishment has been decided upon. Your charge is "unlawful entry", thus you will be sentenced to death." The guard stated and your eyes widened.

"Say what?!"

"What!? But it was an accident! Can't we at least explain ourselves!"

"No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle." A voice was heard as someone approached the cell and peered inside. He wore nothing but a pair of pink panties, that no man should ever wear and a king's cape.

"Huh? Wait… is that you, Kamoshida?!" The student beside you spoke up as you looked over at him, before back at the 'King of the castle'

"Wait… _this_ is the teacher you were talking about?!" You whispered to the male beside you.

"I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it'd be you, Sakamoto… Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all, huh?" Kamoshida questioned as he stared down the student. His eyes wandered to you and he let his eyes wander for a short moment. "And you brought a friend this time, because you can't do anything for yourself. So, who's this? Your girlfriend? Damn, Sakamoto, didn't know you had it in ya~. She's definitely way outta your league~."

"This ain't funny, you asshole!" Sakamoto spoke up with a glare.

"Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don't understand the position you're in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me - the king! The punishment for that, is death." Kamoshida spoke as he stared down Sakamoto until he turned his attention to you instead. "But looks, princess, I'll be generous to a pretty little thing like yourself. We could always work out… other means for your trespassing~."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" You spoke up with a pale expression. Ryuji stepped in front of you, as if blocking the male's view of you would somehow fix everything.

"This is bullshit! The hell do you think you're doin' you pervert!?" Ryuji spoke up with a glare. Kamoshida didn't seem amused by his tone as he looked to the guards rallied around him.

"It's time for an execution! Take him out!" Kamoshida spoke up. "Save her for later… I'm going to deal with her… myself."

"S-Stop it…!" Sakamoto spoke up, as if still clinging to the fact that perhaps this was all just a sick joke. The guards came into the room one by one. One grabs you by the arm with the other approached Sakamoto. "Goddammit…!" Sakamoto attacked the guard holding onto you and takes your hand attempting to flee from the cell. "I ain't down for this shit! C'mon, we're outta here!" He spoke up and you could agree with that statement, but you didn't get far before Kamoshida kicks him back into the cell. His grip on your hand released as he fell into the cell. He winced as he sat up slightly.

"Just go! Get outta here…! These guys are serious!" Sakamoto spoke up as he ignored your attempt to aid him.

"Aw, trying to protect your girlfriend. What a noble thing to do." Kamoshida spoke as he approached him. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her~."

"She ain't my girlfriend. She's just some girl…" Sakamoto spoke up, before looking over at you. "C'mon! Hurry up and go!"

:Just some girl… Dammit why does everyone keep saying that!" You whispered to yourself with a frown tugging on your lips.

"Keep her over there. I want to focus on this one's execution for now." Kamoshida spoke up as you watched the guards hold Sakamoto back while Kamoshida took his anger out on the poor teenager's body. The punches were swift, definitely practiced and directed right at his stomach. "Hmph. Where'd you energy from earlier go? A peasant like you isn't worth beating. I'll have you killed right now."

"Have you lost your mind?! Stop it!" You called. "You can't just do this to someone! Who do you think you are?!"

"What…? Don't you dare tell me you don't know who I am." Kamoshida spoke as he grabbed you by the arm and tugged you toward him. "What? You think you can stop me? You're nothing but a little girl. Tch, you're not even worth toying with. Hold her there… After the peasant, it's her turn to die." Kamoshida spoke up as he threw you toward the guards as they held you against the wall, helpless as you watched him approach Sakamoto.

" _ **Nothing, but a little girl…"**_

" _What's the matter…? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing." A voice spoke in you head. "I thought you weren't 'just a little girl'?"_

"I'm not!" You insisted. The guard gave you a strange look while one of the others held Sakamoto by the neck as a sword was pointed at his throat.

" _Very well… I have heeded your resolve. Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I… Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"_

You opened your eyes as you suddenly realized you wore a mask over your face and you attire had changed. Arsene's words whirled in your mind, guiding you and telling you what to do next. Following his every order, you rip the mask from your face, ignoring the pain that it brought with it. The burst of power released at the action knocked the guards off of their feet as they released Sakamoto and all attention was redirected at you.

"What the…?" Sakamoto spoke softly as he looked at you with wide eyes.

"Who the hell are you?! Guards! Start by killing that one!" Kamoshida spoke up, but Arsene quickly disposed of them in a whirl of demonic power. Your knees were shaky from the intense power having been released from within you, but you managed to stay on your feet as you looked up to Kamoshida who stood back with wide eyes. He tried not to seem intimidated, but he did.

"You little…!" Kamoshida spoke with a glare as he approached you. Sakamoto had managed to get back on his feet as he tackled Kamoshida to the ground as he was approaching you.

"Ha! You like that, you son of a bitch?!" Sakamoto spoke up with a grin on his face as the man fell to the ground, dropping the key to the cell on the floor.

"Hurry! Grab the key!" You called hurriedly. Sakamoto nodded as he grabbed the key and you locked Kamoshida inside.

"Okay, it's locked!" Sakamoto spoke up as he looked over you with wide eyes. "Hey..! What was that just now?! And… your clothes?" You looked down at your attire, only for it to disappear in a whirl of black smoke. "Whoa, it went back to normal..?!"

"You bastards!" Kamoshida's voice spoke to interrupt your thought process.

"God, this's effin' nuts! Anyways, let's scram!" Sakamoto spoke up and you nodded as he toss the keys aside and the two of you ran for it to find an exit. Kamoshida was screaming in the distance for his guards to come to his aid while you two ran around the castle trying to find your way out.

"Hey, we gotta hide!" Sakamoto spoke up as he tugged you hand and the two of you hid behind several boxes stacked side-by-side. "Over there… They're lookin' for us, right?" He questioned as he peered from behind the boxes to watch the guards curiously. "I ain't playin' along with this anymore! We gotta find a way outta this goddamn place!"

"Obviously, Sakamoto-kun! I mean, they tried to kill us." You whispered with a roll of your eyes. When the guards directed their attention elsewhere, you run up the steps with Sakamoto in tow.

"You think this is the way out?" He asked quietly as you kept moving.

"Since it's going up, probably not…" You confessed with a sigh. As you arrived, the area looked more like an underground trench than anything else.

"What the hell is this place?! All this water…" Sakamoto commented and you nodded.

"I know we went up… what the hell is this place?" You spoke. How could the wooden floors even support all the water? Someone's voice stirred the two of you as your looked toward a teenager locked in a cage. He was dangling helplessly over the water.

"We really did hear people screamin'... So we ain't the only ones who got captured!" Sakamoto spoke up.

"This is awful…" You spoke up softly.

"Is, uh… Is he okay?" Sakamoto spoke as you looked over at him with a deadpanned expression.

"Uh… he's in a cell… obviously not." You stated matter of factly. "Wait… is that… our school uniform?"

" _You don't have the time to stand around. Leave them and keep moving."_ Arsene's voice spoke in your mind and you had no choice but to heed it as you guided Sakamoto further into the strange room ahead. You pause once you come upon several more cells and Sakamoto stops you to peer inside.

"Here too…? Is this dude okay? Wait… why's there a volleyball in this cell?" He spoke and you sighed.

"I don't know! C'mon, we have to keep moving!" You said, losing your patience with the curious blonde beside you.

"Dammit! How the hell're we supposed to get outta here?!" Sakamoto huffed as he walked beside you.

"Hey, you there! Blondie! Pretty Lady! Look over here!" A voice called and you looked into another cell to find something that appeared almost… cat like…?

"What is this thing?!" Sakamoto spoke up as he looked at it with wide eyes.

"You're not soldiers of this castle, right? Get me out of here! Look, the key's right there!" It spoke as you studied it silently.

"What? We're trying to get the hell out of here…! I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!" Sakamoto spoke up. He did appear like one of the strange creatures you'd seen wandering around...

"I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?! Help me out!" The cat called.

"This could be some kinda trap or somethin'!" Sakamoto spoke up.

"Shhh, Sakamoto-kun, if they hear us, they'll catch us…!" You spoke softly.

" I'm begging you; you have to help me!" The cat called with desperate eyes.

"They're catchin up already!" Sakamoto spoke as you heard footsteps coming up the steps. "How the hell do we get out?!

"You wanna know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there!" The cat spoke. "You don't wanna get caught and executed, right?"

"Can you really help us? I mean, you're in a cage too, so obviously you got caught yourself…" You commented skeptically.

"She's got a point…" Sakamoto spoke.

"I never go back on my word!" The cat insisted and you sighed.

"This thing sounds like it's all talk…" Sakamoto spoke and you gave him a look that read 'you're on to talk', which only made the teen beside you huff in retaliation.

"If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest." The cat spoke up as if he had the upperhand.

"The guards are coming closer!" You spoke as you heard the footsteps nearing the top of the winding stairs.

"If you don't hurry, they'll catch you." The cat challenged and you felt slight panic go through you.

"Just let him out! I can't reach the keys!" You spoke up to Sakamoto beside you.

"F-Fine…" The male said, giving in to your request.

" Ahhh… Freedom tastes so great." The cat spoke up as it wandered out of the cell and stretched.

"Now where's the exit, you monstercat?!"

"Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!"

"Shuddup and hurry it up! You wanna be locked up again?!"

"Alright, sheesh! Follow me, and stay quiet!" Morgana spoke up as he lead you to a draw bridge.

"What're you doin'?" Sakamoto questioned as the two of you watched him closely.

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm lowering the bridge." Morgana stated with a blank expression. "You, pretty lady. It seems like you pick up on things faster than Blondie over here. Try checking around the mouth of this stature, okay?"

"Hey! Why is she called Pretty Lady and I'm just Blondie?!" Sakamoto questioned. You inspected the mouth of the stature, before Arsene's voice urged you to pull it open to drop the bridge.

"How were we supposed to know to do that?!" Sakamoto spoke up.

"Hmph, amateur."

"I bet you just watched the other guards do it from your cell." You spoke skeptically.

"W-what?! T-that's…! I mean…! Come on, let's keep going!" Morgana spoke with a huff at being caught.

"Ha! You ain't got shit to say now, huh cat?" Sakamoto spoke up with smirk.

"I'm not a cat!" You keep running until you run into a few guards standing nearby. Morgana lead the the two of you to a proper hiding spot as you watched carefully from a distance. One of the guards seemed to have spot you, because he quickly kicked the barrels away that were handing your forms.

"Shit, it's them!" Sakamoto spoke up and Morgana rolled his eyes.

"Tch… You amateur! Stay still! Hey you, you can fight, right? Let's go!" The cat spoke up as he summoned his own strange being. "Come Zorro!" Killing the guards together was much easier than doing it on your own and you found yourself with a little more energy at the conclusion of battle.

"You got one of those things too?!" Sakamoto spoke up.

"Not bad. Your persona's pretty powerful." Morgana spoke. "But you're still an amatuer!"

"Persona…? Y'mean that thing that comes outta you guys all dramatic-like?"

"Yes. You saw how Pretty Lady here ripped off her mask when she summoned it, right? Well, everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that…" You suddenly turn back to normal and the conversation shifts.

"Huh…? She turned back to normal…"

"Hm, it looks like you don't have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn't normally dissolve like that. After all-"

"That's enough! This crap doesn't make any sense!"

"Can't you just sit still and listen for once, Blondie?!"

"Don't call me Blondie! My name's Ryuji…"

"Actually, there's no time for me to lecture you! You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let's go! It's not much farther to the exit." Morgana lead the way toward where you hoped would be the exit, until Ryuji notices a student inside of a cell.

"Hold on a sec! I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearin' before… Dammit! I'm too flustered! I can't remember a damn thing!" Sakamoto spoke up.

"Come on. Let's go!" Morgana spoke up.

"hold on, dammit!"

"Why? We need to go, fast!"

"But… who are these guys?"

"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!"

"We saved you!" You pointed out.

"T-true, but..!"

"We can't just leave these guys here!" Sakamoto insisted.

"You really don't get it, do you? There's no time to explain. Look, I'm going. If you don't want to follow, be my guest!" Morgana spoke up as he ran off.

"Dammit… fine, I'm coming!" Ryuji spoke as he quickly followed.

"But…!" You started, though the two had already begun to leave you, so you quickly followed behind.

"The entrance hall is right above here! The exit's close… keep it up!" Morgana stated and you sighed, a bit relieved that you were almost out. You make it to a dead end and you curiously look around.

"We're here!" Morgana spoke up.

"Finally! We're saved…!" Ryuji spoke up as he tried to pry the door open. "The door won't open! D'you trick us, you jerk?!"

"Don't just to conclusions! Over here!" Morgana stated as he opened a side door and charged inside.

"Where are we supposed to get out from here?! There aren't even any windows!"

" Ugh, amateur… This is the most basic of basics."

"Wait… I thought that hitting an enemy weakness was the most basic of basics…?" You questioned curiously.

"There can be more than one!" Morgana insisted.

"So… I guess we're going out a different way, then? Like the ventilation shaft?" You questioned as you looked around the room for any way out.

"That's right! As I thought, you're a natural at this. It leads all the way outside." Morgana said with a grin pulling at his features.

"I see… Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off." Ryuji spoke as he jumped up to do just that. He was taller and physically stronger than the rest of you after all, so it seemed only natural for him to be the one to do it. In his rush to tug it off, though, he stumbles, falling to the ground as the mesh came off with a loud bang.

"Oww… Crap! The enemy didn't hear us did they?" Ryuji spoke as he rubbed his sore backside.

"Us? That was your fault!" You spoke with a huff.

"Whatever, we're finally getting outta here!"

"You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out… Now get going!" Morgana said as he ushered the two of you up to squeeze through the ventilation unit.

"But what about you?" Ryuji asked.

"You're not coming…?" You questioned curiously.

"There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways." Morgana told you with a smile.

"Don't get caught again. No one will be here to save you." You advised

"Heh, you better be careful too. See ya." Morgana spoke as you offered a small smile, before Ryuji ushered you out, before following close behind.


	4. Chapter 4

"Did we make it?" Ryuji spoke lightly as you slowly opened your eyes to look around curiously.

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." A voice from your phone spoke lightly.

"Huh? Returned? Does that mean we got away?" Ryuji commented thoughtfully as the two of you too up and dusted yourselves off.

"I think so… Everything looks the same…?" You mused thoughtfully as you looked around curiously.

"I don't know what to think anymore. What was all that anyways? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat!" Ryuji spoke, his voice escalating to a point that alerted the police officers close by. "The hell's goin' on?!"

"What's with the yelling? Are you students of Shujin?" One spoke as they approached the two of you.

"Cutting classes are we?" The other spoke in a coarse manner.

"Huh? No!" Ryuji stated. "We were tryin' to get to school and we ended up at this weird castle!" You sighed softly, this sounded insane, even if it were real. Of course the police officers were looking at the two of you like you were insane.

"What…? Hand over your bag. You better not be doing any drugs."

"Why would you think that?!" Ryuji spoke with wide eyes as the police officer took his backpack and dug through it in search of drugs of some kind.

"Are you his friend? A young lady like you shouldn't be cutting class with some boy. What will your parents think!" The other officer scolded you.

"What? It's not like that!" You insisted with a huff.

"Then you should go to school. Take him with you." The officer holding Ryuji's bag stated as he handed it back to him.

"But the school-" Ryuji started as he threw his hands up in defeat.

"We passed by Shujin on our way here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout anymore nonsense, I'll contact your school. Is that what you want?" The officer spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest. You paled slightly, you didn't want to get into trouble with the police, you were still on probation!

"Let's get going. We'll only get in more trouble arguing!" You insisted as you pushed Ryuji off toward the school once again.

"W-wait a sec! Fine, I'm goin'!" Ryuji complained as you pushed him along. The blonde haired male frowned as he stalked along the streets back toward the school.

"What're we gonna do when we get there and that damn castle is there again?" Ryuji complained.

"It said we were back in the real world, right? So that must mean the school is the way it's supposed to, right?" You suggested with a soft sigh at Ryuji's blank expression.

"Is this for real…?" Ryuji spoke as the two of you came upon the steps of the school, seeing things in their proper state once again. "I'm sure we came the same way… What's goin' on here?!"

"Are you… stupid or something? I just told you that thing said that we were-" You started, before a voice interrupted your irritation.

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. We received a call from the police." The counselor stated and you frowned slightly. Of course they'd call to make certain you went to school...

"That damn cop snitched on us after all!" Ryuji griped with a frown on his lips.

"Are you surprised?" You whispered to him as the Counselor stepped further down the steps.

"Hm… it's rare not to see you alone. Where were you roaming around until this time?" He spoke, seemingly leaving you out entirely as he focused on Ryuji instead.

"Uhh… a castle?" Ryuji attempted and you simply sighed. Really, Ryuji had to be brain dead if he thought it'd work on the counselor if it didn't work on the police officers. You supposed you could applaud him for choosing not to lie about it, but you also were a bit frustrated that he didn't just say something more believable.

"So you have no intention of giving an honest answer?" The man spoke and Ryuji frowned.

"It IS an honest-"

"What's this about a castle?" A voice from another spoke and a man stepped into view.

"Kamoshida?!" Ryuji blurted and you looked over the man for a moment. He did appear a lot like the strange man you saw in that castle, but something seemed a little off...

"You seem so carefree, Sakamoto. Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team." Kamoshida mocked as he looked down at the two of you.

"Shuddup! It's your fault that-" Ryuji started.

"How dare you speak that way to mr. Kamoshida! … There's not much leeway left for you, you know?" The counselor scolded.

"He's the one that provoked me!" Ryuji insisted. You sighed softly, Ryuji temper seemed to always get the best of him.

"Do you really wanna be expelled? In any case, you'll have to explain yourself. Follow me." The counselor retorted.

"What?! This is bullshit!"

"Come now, I should've been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame." Kamoshida spoke up, giving Ryuji a free pass on his behavior. You raised an eyebrow, that seemed generous of him to do considering him in the castle was twice as cruel to Ryuji simply for existing.

"Well, if you say so… Still you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late." The counselor remarked as he walked away with Ryuji following behind. You followed behind Ryuji, but Kamoshida stopped you before you could walk through the door.

"By the way, you're that new transfer student, _ _, correct? ...Have we met somewhere?"

"At the station… You offered to pick me up." You responded politely. "But shouldn't I be-"

"That's right. I remember now." He muttered thoughtfully.

"Um… yes. I better go. I don't want to get in any more trouble…" You said politely as you tried to slip past him, but he remained where he was, blocking your path.

"Don't worry, I'll overlook this just for today." Kamoshida spoke plastering on a smile. "I'm sure you've heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you'll be expelled, understand?"

"Yeah, I get it… Thank you, sir." You spoke as he tried to walk past him again, but the feeling of his hand on your shoulder stopped you once again.

"As for Sakamoto, stay away from him. He's no good." Kamoshida spoke up. "And… I'm sure you could do _much_ better." Feeling a slight squeeze on your shoulder, you looked the other way passively as he continued to speak. "At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I'm sure Mr. Kawakami's tired of waiting. Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life." Kamoshida finally let you pass and you walked the short distance toward the faculty office.

" _Trying…?" A voice spoke in your head._

" _H-huh?! Arsene?"_

" _Obviously… who else would it be?"_

" _I thought I was back in the real world! How are you-?!"_

" _I'm a part of you. I will always be with you," Arsene addressed. "That aside, stay away from him. I don't like him touching you."_

" _What do you mean?"_

Arsene never responded to you, so you put it to the back of your mind for now. You knew Kamosida wasn't as good of a person as he tried to pretend to be, but you weren't so certain whether or not he was as terrible as the man you saw in the castle… As you walked down the hall, hushed whispered about you were heard as people spotted you in the hallway.

" _Jeez… everyone already knows about me?"_

" _Just keep your head high and pretend not to hear them. Someone who will judge you based off of hearsay is beneath you regardless." Arsene stated._

" _So you are there! Why didn't you answer my question?" You demanded._

" _You really don't know how to let things go and just do what I say, do you?" Arsene retorted._

" _Well, if you're a part of me, then you can't do it either!"_

" _Well, at least you're not an idiot."_

" _Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"_

" _..."_

" _Arsene!"_

"Unbelievable… Being over half a day late on your first day…? Can you explain yourself?" A voice interrupted your inner argument with Arsene. You weren't quite sure how to respond knowing how Ryuji's response had been.

" _Telling the truth will only make it worse… Just tell him you got lost. It isn't a complete lie after all." Arsene suggested._

"I got lost…" You said, even you sounded like you didn't believe yourself.

"How could you have been lost for this long? It's almost lunchtime! Well, it's probably true that you're not used to the area yet.. But you're still way too late." The teacher scolded with a heavy sigh. "Will you pull yourself together? You were given fair warning yesterday."

"Yes, I know…" You said with a sigh. You didn't expect to be given a slap on the wrist due to your record, but you'd hoped once people saw you in person, their opinion of you would change. "More importantly, I heard that you were caught along with that Sakamoto-kun?"

"What do you mean by "That" Sakamoto-kun?" You spoke as you looked up at the man for a long moment.

"Don't get involved with him, okay? He's nothing but trouble! He wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field, though…" Kawakami said with a sigh. "...Anyway, break's almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I'll have you introduce yourself when class resumes. Follow me."

"Yes, sir…" You sighed as you fell into step with the teacher.

" _See! Now that is how you're supposed to be treated by a teacher. There was no need for him to touch you, so he didn't." Arsene stated._

" _Are you sure you aren't just making this a bigger deal than it needs to be?" You inquired._

" _No! Everything is a big deal if I'm talking about it. You remember that."_

" _I'm sorry, I already forgot. What did you say?"_

" _Keep it up, smartass. I might decide to not show up when you call for me next time."_

" _Then we'd both die!"_

" _A necessary sacrifice to be right!" Arsene insisted, making you roll your eyes._

"By the way, when you introduce yourself, be serious about it even if you're lying to the class, okay? Do NOT say anything unnecessary." Kawakami stated as he stopped outside of your door.

"What do you mean unnecessary?" You asked questioningly, but your question seemed to be answered all on its own by the whispers heard from the class.

"That's her! She's the one in the gang!"

"What?! She's in a gang?! I heard she robbed a guy and stole his car!"

"No way! I heard she was already caught skipping class with Sakamoto today. I bet he's in a gang with her!"

" _Hmph, so this is what Kamoshida meant by_ try. _I wonder if he had anything to do with this."_

" _I don't think a teacher would do something like that…" You insisted._

" _He hit on your earlier, why wouldn't he spread rumors about your record? I bet none of it is even true."_

" _The entire thing is a lie to begin with…"_

"Settle down." Kawakami's voice interrupted. "Well, I'd like to introduce a transfer student: _ _." The whispering seemed to just get worse as you stood beside him. You sighed heavily as Mr. Kawakami tried to keep the situation under wraps. "Today, we… had her attend from the afternoon on since she wasn't feeling well. Alright, please say something to the class." He looked over at you expectantly at you.

"Nice to meet you…" You spoke sheepishly.

"So… Your seat will be… Over there, the one that's open. Sorry but can the people nearby please share your textbooks with her for today?" Kawakami spoke as he continued on with the class. You pass by the girl you'd met this morning and she offered you a slight understanding expression. You didn't quite understand where it was coming from, until the attention seemed to shift from your to her.

" _Takamaki-san is involved romantically with a teacher? Isn't that something that could easily have him fired? Why has no one looked into this?" Arsene remarked._

" _They're just rumors. I don't think they're true…" You said._

" _But she did ride with him today."_

" _That's probably what started it, honestly…"_

"Oh, right! The volleyball rally's in two days… Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get class started. Who's on duty today?" Kawakami spoke as class began as usual.

After school

As you went to leave, you were stopped by Kawakami once again in the hallway. "Oh, just to warn you, you should head home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-san seemed pretty angry. Oh, and about Sakamoto-kun, don't get involved- Speak of the devil." He muttered with a sigh as the male approached you.

"What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting class today." Kawakami stated.

"Ugh, it was nothin'." Ryuji muttered.

"And you haven't dyed you hair back to black either…"

"Sorry 'bout that."

"But Takamaki's hair is blonde. What's the difference?" You defended.

"Wha- it's a school rule! Natural hair color only. Did you even read the rules?"

"Blonde is a natural hair color."

"You're not allowed to dye your hair! That's school policy!"

"Your hair is dyed. How else would you hide all that gray?" Ryuji remarked. Kawakami frowned as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Just how old do you think I am?!"

"Tch.. I'll be waitin' on the rooftop." Ryuji remarked as he stomped off.

"See? That's why i don't want you getting involved. Understood?" Kawakami stated. "You're not even allowed on the rooftop." He pinched the bridge of his nose lightly as he tried to calm his irritated nerves.

"Just… go home and behave yourself, okay?" Kawakami insisted. "I don't want to have to start escorting you to and from school."

"I understand. I'll head home." You spoke and Kawakami left for his classroom once again. You sighed as you left for the rooftop anyway. Ryuji didn't seem like a bad person in your opinion and your wanted to see what he wanted.

"There you are. Sorry for callin' you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like "don't get involved with him," huh?" Ryuji huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"How'd you know?" You inquired.

"Figured as much… Then again, we're in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it." Ryuji stated with a playful gaze. "No wonder you were so gutsy."

"It isn't like that!" You insisted defensively.

"Hey, you don't gotta tell me." Ryuji said. You weren't sure why, but you were really relieved that you didn't have to tell him about why you ended up in this situation to begin with. "But… what was all that that happened? We almost got killed at that castle! It wasn't a dream, right? You remember it too, yeah?"

"Yeah…" You confirmed.

"Well, just cause we both remember it doesn't mean much, though… I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah… thanks!" Ryuji spoke up and you simply nodded. "But man… that Kamoshida we saw there… You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him."

"Nope… All I hear about is how horrible I must be…" You said with a roll of your eyes.

"Eh, just ignore all that. When they come up with something else to talk about, no one will even remember you got a record." Ryuji said passively. "Anyway, that asshole who was all full of himself at the castle, no one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals. The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real cause of that…" Ryuji remarked with a sigh. "I wonder if we can go back to that castle again.. Ugh, forget it. Must've all been a dream. It has to be! Sorry to drag you out here like this. That's all I had to say."

"Oh, that's okay… I should go I-"

"You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as "troublemakers."" Ryuji mused.

"But I'm not a-"

"I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. I'll come talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, alright?" Ryuji continued and you sighed softly.

"But you're ignoring m-"

"Seeya."

" _That kid sure does talk a lot…" Arsene commented._

" _Sakura-san is gonna kill me… dammit…"_

Making you way back to the cafe, you're greeted by Sojiro, wearing his signature scowl that seemed to be reserved for only you.

"Hey, I got an interesting call from your school today. It's only your first day and you're already showing up hours late?"

"I'm sorry…" You muttered. You felt like your parents were scolding you and you weren't even living with them!

"And here I thought you got up and left on time this morning. Look, just behave yourself. Your life's forfeit if anything happens. You understand the meaning of probation, right?" Sojiro scolded.

"Yes…" You spoke with a sigh.

"Okay then." Sojiro sat down a plate of curry in front of your face as you sat down at one of the tables. It looked like he might say something else to you, before his phone rang and he excused himself to answer it.

"Lock up. Don't go anywhere other than the bathhouse and laundry mat, ya hear?" Sojiro said, before walking out. You finished eating dinner, then headed up to your room to get some sleep.

 **Authors Note:**

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed! I love the feedback I'm getting thus far. I'd like to answer a couple questions I've been given and if anyone wants to know anything else, please feel free to post a comment or send me a private message. I love hearing back from you guys and any comment good or bad helps me improve. Thanks a lot! I was asked to include the fusions for the Velvet Twins social link and I can include that as well, just check the Q & A.

 **Just thought I'd point this out- this is chapter 2 and it says, 'Chapter 2 - Ryuji Sakamoto - The Chariot'. But Ryuji's persona doesn't unlock in this chapter so I was just wondering if that was the name intended for the next chapter or something?:** No, that was not intended for another chapter. I simply titled it that way, because she was meeting Ryuji properly for the first time, thus he was being first introduced. It doesn't have anything to do with his persona, it's just the very beginning of a potential social link.

 **Can you make Igor a love interest?** : I'd personally never really thought about it and I suppose it's possible. But seeing as Igor - the real Igor isn't present through 98 percent of the game I'm assuming he's not really who you mean. That aside, I can possibly make it more of a side story for later.

 **Do you have an update schedule?:** Unfortunately I do not. I have work, school and child I need to take care of, so I don't always the time to update, but I will try to do so as often as I can!

 **Will your story include significant spoilers?:** Yes, obviously this story is a retell of the original game from a female perspective. This will definitely have spoilers!

 **When will you make the oneshots?:** As the story progresses, so will the side oneshots. When the class trip comes up, the side oneshots based off of it will be up as well in a separate story, etc.

 **Will you include fusions and other personas?:** No, Arsene will remain as the MC's only persona, because of the interactions I plan to have between them.

 **Will you still include the social links with the Velvet Twins?** : Yes, but I'll make the requests different than fusing personas.

Velvet Twins Social Link Fusions:

Rank 1: Jack Frost with Mabufu

Jack Frost learns Mabufu at level 12. Jack Frost is a Magician Arcana Persona, and so with the story-driven progression of the Morgana Magician cooperation you'll be able to get enough bonus experience to boost Jack Frost up to level 12 from very early on in the game.

In order to fuse Jack Frost, fuse Berith (Hierophant) with Apsaras (Priestess).

Once this is done, show your handiwork to Caroline and Justine.

Rank 2: Shiissa with Frei

In order to get your hands on a Shiissa with Frei you'll need to make sue of move inheritance through fusion.

To fuse a Shiissa with Frei use Jack Frost (Magician) with Makami (Temperance) - Makami has Frei naturally, so you can then choose to inherit the Frei skill.

Rank 3: Matador with Magaru

A Matador with Magaru is another Persona that'll require you to do some fusion in order to get access to it with an inherited skill.

The quickest and easiest way to get a Matador with Magaru is to use a treasure Persona, Regent. Once you've found one of these once you can recall them from the compendium, but they're expensive.

Combine Mokoi (Death) with a Regent to create a Matador - pick up Magaru as the inherited skill from the skill-loaded Regent.

If you want to use two regular Persona instead you can achieve this by combining Nekomata (Magician) with Obariyon (Fool) - again, choose to inherit Magaru.

Rank 4: Flauros with Tarukaja

Fusing a Flauros with Tarukaja is the first task that requires you to get a bit more complicated: you'll need to fuse this guy with a group guillotine fusion.

Look to fuse Berith (Hierophant), Andras (Devil) and Eligor (Emperor) together to create Flauros.

To get Tarukaja you'll need a few levels boosted via an Arcana Burst - being Devil, Flauros is boosted by the reporter confidant cooperation. Alternatively you can level it a bit through fighting.

Rank 5: Ame-no-Uzume with Dodge Psy

We managed to get ourselves an Ame-no-Uzume Persona with Dodge Psy by fusing Kin-Ki (Chariot) with Sui-Ki (Moon).

Kin-Ki learns dodge psy at level 27 naturally, so you just need to boost it to that level either through the Chariot confidant cooperation with Ryuji or through some combat.

Once Kin-Ki has dodge psy, make sure you select it as an inherited skill when creating Ame-no-Uzume.

Rank 6: Neko Shogun with Dekaja

The quickest way we found to get a Neko Shogun with Dekaja was to start out with an Anzu (Hierophant) - this guy learns Dekaja at level 28. Boost there to get the move.

Your next step is to use Anzu in an advanced fusion - fuse it in a three-way with Kodama (Star) and Sudama (Hermit). Select Dekaja as your inherited ability and this rank is complete.

Rank 7: Lachesis with Tetraja

Strap in, as getting a Lachesis with Tetraja was a complicated multi-step process for us. Here's how we managed it:

Fuse Lamia (Empress) and Sandman (Magician) to create Principality (Justice) - this Persona has Tetraja naturally.

Fuse Principality (Justice) with Yaksini (Empress) in order to make an Ame-no-Uzume (Lovers). Make sure you inherit Tetraja as a skill.

Finally, fuse your new Ame-no-Uzume (Lovers) with Isis (Priestess) in order to get your Lachesis. Please don't forget to inherit Tetraja - that'd hurt.

Rank 8: Hecatoncheires with Masukunda

To get a Hecatoncheires with Masukunda you'll need to fuse two higher-end Persona. Unicorn (Hierophany) and Lilim (Devil) will give you what you need, with Masukunda an available skill to inherit.

Another way to get this Persona is to fuse Clotho (Fortune) with Red Rider (Tower). You can also substitute Red Rider for Belphegor (Tower) - the result is the same.

Rank 9: Bugs with Samarecarm

Getting a Bugs with Samarecarm requires you to break out your advanced Persona Fusion tools once again - you'll need to combine Pixie (Lovers) with Pisaca (Death) and Hariti (Empress).

The move you need must come from Hariti, who learns Samarecarmat level 41. Boost Hariti there through some combat grinding or via an arcana burst, then have the resulting Bugs from the fusion inherit the move.

Rank 10: Seth with High Counter

High counter is an amazing move, but getting a Seth with High Counter requires another multi-step fusion process. Here's what to do:

Gain a Skill Card from the mementos request / sidequest The Killer Laughs in the Garbage Can. You'll get this request on 10/14. This skill card lets you teach a Persona high counter, and is the quickest route to this move.

Combine Hecatoncheir (Hanged) with Kushinada-Hime (Lovers) to get a Horus (Sun).

Combine Isis (Priestess), Thoth (Emperor), Anubis (Judgement) and Horus (Sun) to create Seth.

Use the ability card you got from the side quest to teach Seth High Counter and you're done!


End file.
